Kevin Curren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kevin Curren

Curren in 1982
Country (sports)	South Africa  United States (1985-)
Residence	Austin, Texas
Born	(1958-03-02) 2 March 1958 (age 67) Durban, Natal, South Africa
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1979
Retired	1993
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$3,055,510
Singles
Career record	339–234 (59.1%)
Career titles	5
Highest ranking	No. 5 (22 July 1985)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	F (1984)
French Open	2R (1992)
Wimbledon	F (1985)
US Open	4R (1981, 1990)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam Cup	1R (1990)
WCT Finals	SF (1984)
Doubles
Career record	430–249 (63.3%)
Career titles	26
Highest ranking	No. 3 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1981)
French Open	QF (1984)
Wimbledon	SF (1982, 1983)
US Open	W (1982)
Mixed doubles
Career titles	3
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	W (1982)
US Open	W (1981, 1982)

Kevin Curren is a famous former professional tennis player from South Africa. He was born on March 2, 1958. Kevin was a top player who reached the finals of two major tennis tournaments called Grand Slams. He also won four Grand Slam titles in doubles matches. At his best, he was ranked as the world's No. 5 singles player in July 1985. Throughout his career, he won 5 singles titles and 26 doubles titles.

About Kevin Curren

Kevin Curren was born in South Africa. In April 1985, he became a citizen of the United States.

Kevin's Tennis Journey

Kevin Curren was a talented athlete from a young age. He played both tennis and cricket at Glenwood High School in Durban, South Africa. He quickly became a top junior player at the Montclair Lawn Tennis Club.

When he went to college in the United States, he played tennis for the University of Texas at Austin. In 1979, he won the NCAA singles title, which is a big achievement for college athletes. He then decided to become a professional tennis player later that year. His first major singles win was in Johannesburg in 1981.

Grand Slam Highlights

In 1983, Kevin reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, one of the most famous tennis tournaments. He had a big win in the fourth round, beating the defending champion, Jimmy Connors. This was a rare loss for Connors in a major tournament. Kevin then lost a very close five-set match to Chris Lewis. Lewis was not a seeded player, meaning he wasn't expected to go that far.

In 1984, Kevin made it to the final of the Australian Open. He had an amazing comeback in the semifinals, winning after being two sets down. In the final, he played against Mats Wilander on the grass courts. Wilander won the match in four sets.

The 1985 Wimbledon Final

The year 1985 was a very special one for Kevin. After becoming an American citizen, he reached the final at Wimbledon again. He had some incredible wins on his way to the final. He beat future champion Stefan Edberg in the fourth round. Then, he defeated the world's No. 1 player, John McEnroe, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he beat world No. 3 Jimmy Connors. Kevin was the first player ever to beat both McEnroe and Connors in the same Grand Slam event.

McEnroe later said that Kevin's serve was very powerful and hard to return. In the final, Kevin played against Boris Becker, who was only 17 years old. Becker won the match in four sets, becoming the youngest male Grand Slam champion at the time. Kevin predicted that more young players would become successful in tennis, but their careers might be shorter and more intense. Kevin Curren was the last American man to reach the Wimbledon final until Andre Agassi did so seven years later.

After his amazing run at Wimbledon, Kevin played in the US Open. He was upset in the first round by Guy Forget. Kevin was very frustrated after this loss. He expressed his disappointment with the tournament facilities and the traffic.

Doubles Success

Even though Kevin didn't win a Grand Slam singles title, he was a champion in doubles. He won four Grand Slam doubles titles!

• In 1981, he won the US Open mixed doubles.
• In 1982, he won the Wimbledon mixed doubles.
• Also in 1982, he won both men's doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.

Kevin won a total of 5 singles titles and 26 doubles titles during his career. His highest ranking was world No. 5 in singles and world No. 3 in doubles. He won his last singles title in 1989 and his last doubles title in 1992. Kevin retired from professional tennis in 1993.

After retiring, Kevin Curren became the captain of the South Africa Davis Cup team.

Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1984	Australian Open	Grass	Mats Wilander	7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–7(3–7), 2–6
Loss	1985	Wimbledon	Grass	Boris Becker	3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–7(3–7), 4–6

Doubles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1982	US Open	Hard	Steve Denton	Victor Amaya Hank Pfister	6–2, 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–2, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 3 (3 titles)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1981	US Open	Hard	Anne Smith	JoAnne Russell Steve Denton	6–4, 7–6
Win	1982	Wimbledon	Grass	Anne Smith	Wendy Turnbull John Lloyd	2–6, 6–3, 7–5
Win	1982	US Open	Hard	Anne Smith	Barbara Potter Ferdi Taygan	6–7, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5)

Grand Slam Singles Performance

This table shows how Kevin Curren performed in the main singles tournaments of the Grand Slams each year.

See also

In Spanish: Kevin Curren para niños